Supporting bar and hinge construction for automobile hoods



J. B.- COVI. SUPPORTING BAR AND HJNGE CONSTRUCTION-FOR AUTOMOBILE HOODS.

' APPucATmN FILED APR. 15,1920,

Patten-teal June 27 1922.

i i' W a JOHN B. COVI I were arias FATENT QFFQE,

JOHN B. com, 015 FAR RocKAwAv, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR ITO GENERAL MOTORS.ooRroRATION, 033 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OE DELAWARE.

SUPPORTING BAR AND HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR AUTOMOBILE H'OODS.

emes.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted J 27 1922 Application filedApril 15, 1920. Serial No. 374,217.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. Covr, a citi zen. of the- United States, andav resident of Far Rockaway, county of Queens, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supporting Bar andinvention relates to make and use the same,

the doors will not become marred or broken reference being made thereinto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to automobile hood structures provided forenclosing the engine whereby the vehicle is driven,and particularly tohin e mechanism located at the upper end of t e hood and whereby thedoors which close the sides of the hood are pivotallyconnected with afixed support in such a manner as to permit them to be readily opened,to thereby gain access to the engine enclosed by'the hood. I i

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved hingeconstruction for the doors of automobile hoods, which con-- structionincludes a supporting bar in the form of a trough or channel to whichthe doors are pivotally connected; and which trough in addition toserving as a support for the doors serves to conduct such water as mayget in between the adjacent ends of the doors when closed forward anddischarge the same adjacent the radiator of the vehicle, to therebyprevent waterfrom reaching the engine and perhaps interfering with theignition system thereof.

A further object of my invention is to.

provide, a hinge, construction for automobile hoodsofthe type and forthe purpose above mentioned an in which the construction of the channelshaped trough or bar which supports thedoors, and of the doorsthemselves and the relationship of said several elements to one'an'other, is such that the enamel coating upon the exterior surface ofby contact with a metallic surface when the doors are opened; as nopartof the exposed finished surface of the doors comes in contact withany element or part when the doors are opened, which contact, should itoccur,

upper ends. of the doors of an automobile hood which will be simple inconstruction, easytomanufacture, and effective for the purpose for whichit is designed, and which at the same time will prevent the entrance ofwater into the interior of the hood.

My 1nventi'on is illustrated in its preferred form in the drawingaccompanying and forming a part of this specification; although it wlllbe appreciated that the drawing is for illustrative purposes only, and

that my invention includes all such vari-.

ationsand modifications of the particular embodlment thereof illustratedas come within the scope of the concluding claims wherein thedistinguishing features in which my invention consists are ed out.

Referring now to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view illustratmg myimproved hinge constructionupon a vertical central plane extending longitudinally of the hood, somuch only of the automobile with which the device is used being shown asis necessary to an understanding of my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating my improved hingeconstruction in perspective. j r

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view showing a sectlon of my invention upon avertical plane extending transverse to the supportmg bar to which thedoors are pivotally connected.

Figure L is a fragmentary perspective view showing a slightly modifiedform of mv invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 4 designates the frontend of an particularly pointautomobile body and 5 the radiator forcooling the cooling water whereby the engine not shown is cooled; saidparts being'spaced apart from one another and the engine which propelsthe vehicle being. located between them in accordance with the usualpractice in motor vehicle construction. The body portion is providedwith a projecting flange 6, and the radiator structure regarded in itsentirety with a similar flange 7 with which flanges the side edges ofthe doors 8, 9 contact when the doors are closed; such flanges servingtherefore to support and pro erly position the front and rear edges 0the doors when they. are closed, as is usual in hood'construction formotor vehicles.

Located at the upper end of the hood and.

-in Figure 3, the projecting portions being ing bar 10 channel shaped incross-section, as best shown in Figures 2 and 3 the ends of said barbeing supported from said body portion and radiator in-any suitable wayas by resting thereupon, or by means of the projecting'ends of hingepins or rods hereinafter described, such projecting ends being shown inFigure 2. This channel bar inclines downwardly and toward the front endof the vehicle so that any water which may find its way thereinto willflow toward the front end of the vehicle and be discharged adjacent theradiator thereof, thus preventing theentry of water into the interior ofthe hood and wetting of the engine which, should it occur, mightinterfere with the ignition system thereof.

The doors 8, 9 are pivotally connected with the side portions 12, 12 ofthe channel bar 10 adjacent the upper ends of the said sides. Thechannel bar is preferably formed from sheet metal, and spaced lugs ortongues 13 at the upper edge of the side portions thereof are turnedinward around rods it at the upper ends of said side portions;whiclfconstruction strengthens the channel bar and at the same timeprovides a pin for the hinge connection through which the doors arepivotally connected with the said channel bar, the doors being likewiseprovided with projecting tongues or lugs 15 which are curved about therods 14 to thereby complete the hinge connections between the upper endsof the sides of the channel bar and the doors and provide the pivotalconnections between said elements which permit-the doors to be swungupward to gain access to the interior of the hood.

The inner portions of the doors 8, 9 are provided with projectingportions 16 extending toward one another and part way across the openupper side of the channel bar 10, and the inner edges of theseprojecting portions approach as close as practicable to one another,when the doors are closed. as shownin the drawing, but do not. contactwith one another when thedoors are closed.

The doors 8, 9 are preferably made from sheet metal and the projectingportions 16, 16 are preferably provided by folding over the inner endsof the doors, as bestshown thus made up of a double thickness of thesheet metal from which the, doors are made, thereby providing increasedstrength at the inner portions of the doors where they are pivotallyconnected withthe channel bar by means of the tongues 15 which extendfrom the extremities of these'bent over portions as clearly shown.-

In addition to providing means for preventing acccss-ofwater totheinterior of the hood it will be appreciated that the sheet metalconstruction of the channel trough shaped member or bar 10 provides asupport for the doors which may be readily and cheaply manufactured, andwhich at the same time will be of the requisite strength because of itschannel form and because of the additional stiffness imparted thereto bythe rods 14: at the upper edges of the side portions of said bar, saidrods 1st forming 'be appreciated that. the two thicknesses may besecured together if desired by rivets or otherwise, whereby increasedstrength would be secured. At thesame time no portion of the exposedfinished surface of either door comes in contact with any portion of thehinge construction as the doors are opened; the construction andarrangement of the parts being such that the opening movement of thedoors is in each instance limited by contact between the under side ofthe folded over portion of eachdoor and the inner surface of the sidewall 12 of the channel shaped supporting bar with which the door inquestion is pivotally connected, as clearly shown in dotted lines inFigure 3 of the drawing. e In the form of my invention illustrated inFigure 4 the metal from which the door supporting bar is formed is bentso as to provide two troughs or channels 17, 17 separated from oneanother by an elevated intermediate portion or rib 18. the extreme sideportions of the strip being bent upward as at 19, 19 and the doors 20,21 being hinged to the upper ends of these side portions at 22, 23 byhinge connections of the same construction, and operating in the sameway as the hinge connections hereinbefore de scribed; the extremities ofthe inwardly extending portions 24. 25 of the doors coming into contactwith the inner surfaces of the sides 19, 19 to limit the openingmovement of the door the same as in the form of myin ventionhereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 to '3.

Having thusdescribed and explained my invention I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. In an automobile hood, a trough shapedsupporting bar channel shaped in cross section and located at the upperend of the hood and extending between the body of the vehicle and theradiator thereof, said bar being formed from sheet metal and the upperedges of the sides thereof being provided with tongues; rodsextendingalong the said upper edges and about which said tongues and the radiatorthereof, the open side of are bent and two doors formed from sheet metaland the portions of which adjacent said bar are bent and folded upon onean other to thereby provide projecting portions made up of twothicknesses of metal extending across the open upper side of-said barand toward one another, the under layers of said folded over portionsbeing provided with tongues which are bent about the rods aforesaid, tothereby provide hinge connections between said doors and the upper edgesof the sides of said channel bar.

2. In an automobile hood,atrough shaped supporting bar channel shaped incross section located at the upper end of the hood and extending betweenthe body of the vehicle which bar is uppermost and two doors pivotallyconnected with the side portions of said bar at'the upper edges of saidside portions, which doors have each a projecting portion which extendsinwardly beyond said pivotal connections and part way across the openupper side of said bar; the length of said inwardly projecting portionsand the arrangement of the doors relative to the sides of the channelbar with. which they are pivotally connected being such that the openingmovement of the doors is limited by engagement between the ends of saidprojecting portions and the inner surfaces of the sides of the channelbar.

3. In an automobile hood, a trough shaped supporting barchannel shapedin cross section located at the upper end of the hood and extendingbetween the body of the vehicle and the radiator thereof, the open sideof which bar is uppermost; and two doors 'pivotally connected with theupper edges of the sides of said bar, said doors being formed from sheetmetal and each of them being bent and folded adjacent the pivotalconnection aforesaid to thereby provide double thicknesses of metalextending inward and toward one another from the points of pivotalconnection with said sides, and over the open upper side of said bar,and the free edges of which extending portions lie ad acent one anotherand adjacent the. middle of the open upper side of said channel bar.

4. In an automobile hood, a trough shaped supportingbar channel shapedin cross'section located at the upper end of the hood and extendingbetween the body of the vehicle and the radiator thereof, the open sideof which bar is uppermost; and two doors pivotally connected with theside portions of said bar at the upper edges of said side portions,which doors have each a portion which extends part way across theopen upperside of said bar.

5. In an automobile hood, a trough shaped andextending'between-the bodyof the vehicle and the radiator thereof, the open side of which bar is.uppermost; and two doors pivotally connected with the side portions ofsaid bar and having each a portion which extends part way across theopen upper side of said bar, the inner edges of which extendin portionslie adjacent but do not contact with one another when the doors areclosed.

connected with the side portions of saidtrough adjacent the upper edgesthereof, which doors are provided with portions extendin beyond saidhinge connections and towar one another.

7 A hood construction comprising 'a pair of hood upper sections eachformed of a single sheet of metal and-the two having their meetingedgescoming substantially together and then turned back and formed intospaced but aligned knuckles under the top of the hood, and a singletrough formed by a channel having its two edge portions turned over toform spaced but aligned knuckles, said knuckles of the hood uppersections and the trough edges adapted to interlock in alignment, andpintles threaded through the two lines of knuckles and sup portedindependently of the hood sections and supporting the said trough.

8. In a hood construction, the combination of a pair of hood sectionshaving their edges substantially meeting and folded back under to formknuckles, pintles adapted to be supported independently of the otherparts of the hood construction and engaging through said knuckles, and atrough hung from said pintles under the meeting edges of the hoodsections and serving to space the pintles and carry off water.

and formed into a plurality of aligned buts aced knuckles arranged tooccupy the spaces between the knuckles of the hood sections, and a pairof pintles threaded each through one line. of knuckles of hood sectionsand trough and having their ends arranged for support upon the cowl andradiator, the said trough serving to both carry off water and hold theupper folded edges of the hood sections assembled in substantiallymeeting relation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN B. COVI.

